Google, Facebook, and other services use “behavioral ads” to refine advertisements based on users’ Web-surfing habits. But that could soon change, thanks to a proposal by the Federal Trade Commission.

services use “targeted ads,” or “behaviorial ads,” to refine advertisements

based on users’ Web-surfing habits, and make them more effective and, most

importantly, more lucrative. But a new proposal by the Federal Trade Commission aims to curb that.

At a Consumer Watchdog event Wednesday, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer

Protection proposed a new “Do Not Track” tool to curb privacy concerns over

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behaviorial advertising. The tool would be akin to the “Do Not Call”

registry created in the early aughts which enabled the public to block the

surging (and annoying) amount of telemarketers, Politico reports. “Do Not Track” would work within browsers such as Internet Explorer and

Firefox, but would require an act of Congress to pass.

It’s unclear, though, that such a tool would be effective. A senior VP of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) told

Politico that “you cannot turn off data sharing online,” and that the

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“consumer experience would be severely diminished” if they lose out on the

benefits of tracking third party cookies. Mike Zaneis, senior vice president and general counsel for IAB said in a press release, “The FTC seems to place a great deal of emphasis on consumer click-through rates as a measure for whether self-regulation is working. We believe consumers are best served by a system that makes them aware of online behavioral advertising (OBA) practices, provides real-time enhanced notice, and empowers them to exercise an opt-out mechanism that is easy to use.”

But no one is saying how the tool would work. The

FTC provided few details, though its incoming chief technologist Edward